Ceuta's location has made it an important commercial trade and military way-point for many cultures, beginning with the Carthaginians in the 5th century BC, who called the city Abyla; initially, this was also its name in Greek and Latin. (It was known variously as Ancient Greek: Ἀβύλη, Ἀβύλα, Ἀβλύξ, Ἀβίλη στήλη – Abyle, Abyla, Ablyx or Abile Stele – "Pillar of Abyle")[4] and from Greek, Abyla (...Mons,...Columna, "Mount Abyla" or "Column of Abyla") in Latin. Together with Calpe on the European side, it formed one of the famous "Pillars of Hercules".[4][5] Later, it was renamed for a formation of seven surrounding smaller mountains, collectively referred to as Septem Frates ("The Seven Brothers") by Pomponius Mela, which lent their name to a Roman fortification known as Castellum ad Septem Fratres.[4]

It changed hands again approximately 400 years later, when Vandal tribes ousted the Romans.[citation needed] After being controlled by the Visigoths, it then became an outpost of the Byzantine Empire. Ceuta was an important Christian center since the fourth century (as recent discovered ruins of a Roman basilica show[6]), and consequently is the only place in the Maghreb where the Roman heritage has survived continuously until modern times.

Chaos ensued with the fall of the Umayyad caliphate in 1031. Following this Ceuta and the rest of Muslim Iberia were controlled by successive North African dynasties. Starting in 1084, the AlmoravidBerbers ruled the region until 1147, when the Almohads conquered the land. Apart from Ibn Hud's rebellion of 1232, they ruled until the Tunisian Hafsids established control. The Hafsids' influence in the west rapidly waned, and Ceuta's inhabitants eventually expelled them in 1249. After this, a period of political instability persisted, under competing interests from the Kingdom of Fez and the Kingdom of Granada. The Kingdom of Fez finally conquered the region in 1387, with assistance from the Crown of Aragon.

In July 1936, General Francisco Franco took command of the Spanish Army of Africa and rebelled against the Spanish republican government; his military uprising led to the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. Franco transported troops to mainland Spain in an airlift using transport aircraft supplied by Germany and Italy. Ceuta became one of the first casualties of the uprising: General Franco's rebel nationalist forces repressed the citizens of Ceuta, while at the same time the city came under fire from the air and sea forces of the official republican government.[9]

A monument was erected to honour Francisco Franco; the Llano Amarillo, inaugurated on 13 July 1940, still stands. The tall obelisk has been abandoned, but the shield symbols of the Falange and Imperial Eagle remain visible.[10]

When Spain recognized the independence of Spanish Morocco in 1956, Ceuta and the other plazas de soberanía remained under Spanish rule. Spain considered them integral parts of the Spanish state, but Morocco has disputed this point.

Culturally, modern Ceuta is part of the Spanish region of Andalusia. It was attached to the province of Cádiz until 1925, the Spanish coast being only 20 km (12.5 miles) away. It is a cosmopolitan city, with a large ethnic Berber Muslim minority as well as Sephardic Jewish and Hindu minorities.[11]

On 5 November 2007, King Juan Carlos I visited the city, sparking great enthusiasm from the local population and protests from the Moroccan government.[12] It was the first time a Spanish head of state had visited Ceuta in 80 years.

Ceuta has a maritime-influenced Mediterranean climate.[18] The average diurnal temperature variation is relatively low with average yearly highs of 20 °C (68 °F) and lows of 12 °C (54 °F)[19] with relatively cool summers for the latitude. Summers are extremely dry but yearly precipation is still at 586 millimetres (23.1 in)[19] on average.

Ceuta is known officially in Spanish as Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta (English: Autonomous City of Ceuta), with a rank between a standard Spanish city and an autonomous community. Ceuta is part of the territory of the European Union. The city was a free port before Spain joined the European Union in 1986. Now it has a low-tax system within the European Monetary System. As of 2006, its population was 75,861.

Ceuta has held elections every four years since 1979, for its 25-seat assembly. The leader of its government was the Mayor until the Autonomy Statute had the title changed to the Mayor-President. In the most recent election in 2011, the People's Party won 18 seats, keeping Juan Jesús Vivas as Mayor-President, which he has been since 2001. The remaining seats are held by the regionalist Caballas Coalition (4) and the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE, 3).[22]

Ceuta is subdivided into 63 barriadas (English: neighbourhoods), such as Barriada de Berizu, Barriada de P. Alfonso, Barriada del Sarchal, and El Hacho.[23][24][25]

Due to its small population, Ceuta elects only one member of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislature. Since the 2011 election, this post is held by Francisco Márquez de la Rubia of the PP.[26]

The government of Morocco has repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, along with uninhabited islets such as the islands of Alhucemas, Velez and the Perejil island, drawing comparisons with Spain's territorial claim to Gibraltar.[3] In both cases, the national governments and local populations of the disputed territories reject these claims by a large majority.[27] The Spanish position states that both Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of Spain, and have been since the 16th century, whereas Gibraltar, being a British Overseas Territory, is not and never has been part of the United Kingdom.[28] Some argue[who?] that Ceuta has been under Christian rule (Spanish or Portuguese) for a longer period than major cities in peninsular Spain such as Málaga, Granada or Almería, and has been so since before the creation of the Spanish state in 1475. Morocco denies these claims and maintains that the Spanish presence in Ceuta and the other presidios on its coast is a remnant of the colonial past which should be ended. However, the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories do not consider those Spanish territories to be colonies, whereas it does declare Gibraltar as a non-decolonized territory.[29]

The Moroccan claim on the Spanish territories is part of the larger nationalist movement Greater Morocco, which would include Mauritania, Western Sahara, the northern part of Mali and several Algerian provinces in Morocco.[30][31]

A sign welcoming visitors to Ceuta, showing the flags of Ceuta, Spain and the European Union

The official currency of Ceuta is the euro. It is part of a special low tax zone in Spain.[32] Ceuta is one of two Spanish port cities on the northern shore of Africa, along with Melilla. They are historically military strongholds, free ports, oil ports, and also fishing ports.[33] Today the economy of the city depends heavily on its port (now in expansion) and its industrial and retail centres.[32]Ceuta Heliport is now used to connect the city to mainland Spain by air.

Due to its location, Ceuta is home to a mixed ethnic/religious population. The two main religious groups are Christian and Muslim. Approximately 50% of the population is Spanish/Christian and approximately 49% Arab-Berber/Muslims.[34]

Spanish is the primary and official language of the enclave. Berber, Moroccan Arabic and French are also widely spoken.

The city receives high numbers of ferries each day from Algeciras in Andalucia in the south of Spain. The closest airport is Sania Ramel Airport in Morocco. There is a bus service throughout the city which does not pass into neighbouring Morocco.

A single road border checkpoint allows for cars to travel between Morocco and Ceuta. The rest of the border is closed and inaccessible.

1Entirely claimed by both Morocco and the SADR.2Spanish exclaves claimed by Morocco.3Portuguese archipelago claimed by Spain.4Disputed between Sudan and Egypt.5Terra nullius located between Egypt and Sudan.6Disputed between Sudan and South Sudan.7Part of Chad, formerly claimed by Libya.8Disputed between Morocco and Spain